ASTEROID PROPER ELEMENTS V1.0

Proper elements of asteroids are derived from the osculating orbital elements by correcting for the perturbations of the major planets to arrive at elements which are stable over time periods comparable to the age of the solar system. The purpose of computing proper elements is twofold, to detect asteroid 'families', which are dynamically related groupings of asteroids potentially of common origin, and to understand the dynamical structure of the asteroid belt.